The Otherworld
by dicloniouslove
Summary: This will consist of several stories of The Otherworld which is a huge crossover. I'm going to be putting this in M for Mature scenes. OC's will exist here.
1. The Otherworld(The Sundering) Iomeloth

The Sundering

 ** _Chapter 1-Iomeloth_**

He was as old as time itself.

And some days he felt every moment of his long, long life. Today was such a day. Iomeloth stood at the very top of his tower and peered out into the lands surrounding it. Lush vegetation and beautiful waterfalls and streams made his tower a paradise-but what good is paradise in the middle of hell?

Only his power-in the form of invisible barrier kept the terror and desolation that were the real world from encroaching. Iomeloth sighed heavily and raised his staff. A silver and blue dragon flew to the parapet and landed gracefully, folding silver wings.

"You have need of me, my Lord?" came the dulcet voice of the Dragon spoke only in the mage's mind.

"Yes, Brythemaru, take me aloft I want to see the lands."

"My Lord, nothing has changed since the last time you flew over them." Bryethamaru assured his master.

"I know." Iomeloth said wearily. "I know."

Bryethemaru nodded and knelt down so that the mage could mount him. Once his precious passenger was safely behind his horned crest. The Dragon spread his wins and took to the sky.

They didn't have to fly far for the beauty of the mage's lands to end. Only a few miles in either direction from the tower, the barrier ended abruptly and the naked truth of reality was glaring.

The stench was the first thing the mage noticed. Sulfur and brimstone coming from volcanoes and burning forests. And then, just beneath that smell, was the blood. The copper-coin-in-your-mouth stink of blood. Iomeloth's stomach heaved in protest, but he kept it in check. It would be very unseemly to throw up on the Dragon.

Even flying so high up, the mage could hear the screams and cries of the tortured. Humans. Those fragile creatures who were mere fodder for the stronger, crueler demon-kind. Iomeloth shook his head. _Poor creatures!_ He thought and Bryethamaru rumbled in agreement.

They looked very much like he did, but they were not the same. He was neither human nor demon, but a species entirely different. The power of the universe itself could flow from his fingertips, but even he did not have enough power to save every living human. The only reason that they had not been eradicated already is that the demons kept the youngest females as breeders. The males were forced to impregnate the females, after which the males were used as food. Soon the females would produce a new generation of female breeders and male fodder. The humans knew nothing but despair, they had never even heard of hope.

For eons, Iomeloth and his fellow mages had accepted this was the natural way of things, until one day the mage and the Dragon were standing on the parapet and Byrethamaru suddenly jumped off, unfolding his wings and sailing to the edge of the barrier. He returned with a squirming young boy of about eight in his jaws. Byre release the boy with a small thud. The boy jumped to his feet and rushed to the edge of the parapet, as far away as he could from both the Dragon and the mage. He faced them bravely, although Iomeloth could see that his tiny fists were trembling with fear.

"What have we here?" Iomeloth approached the boy.

The boy was filthy and dressed in rags, but the heart of a lion shone out of those dark eyes.

"I saw him burrowing under the barrier. There is a hollow under a tree root that needs to be fixed." Came Brye's voice in their minds.

The boy looked up at the Dragon in surprise. "He can talk?"

"Yes, Bryethamaru or as I call, Brye is very intelligent. He talks inside your mind.

"He's not going to eat me?"

"No! Not at all. Come, boy, let's get you cleaned up."

The boy looked at the mage and then asked plainly, "Do you have any food?"

Brye snorted in surprise at the boy's forwardness, causing dark smoke to stream out of his nostrils. The boy moved quickly away.

"Watch your manners! We have a guest!" Iomeloth admonished.

"Guest!? That rag-muffin?"

"Yes, the boy is our guest and you will treat him as such."

Brye rumbled his discontent, but gave an almost imperceptible nod of his huge blue head.

"Fine, fine. Now, let's find you a bath…." Iomeloth ushered the boy down the stairs.

"And some food?" The urchin asked again.

"Yes, yes! Plenty of food also!"

What courage that boy had!

In the days that followed, Iomeloth found himself intrigued by the boy and soon the boy had a home. Iomeloth was alone most of the time, except for Brye, and the boy was great company He had a voracious appetite for knowledge and soon learned to read and write. And then, to the amazement of the old mage, he learned to do simple spells.

And through this one brave boy, Iomeloth realized that he had misjudged the human race. They were intelligent, not low animals to be used for food.

And after that, he became acutely aware of the suffering of the humans and a desire to help them began to burn inside of him. A tiny flame soon became a raging fire.

He would find a way to save them!

Two hundred years passed and Iomeloth still had not found the answer. The boy grew up, matured, and grew old. When he died of old age, the boy left an irreparable hole in the old mage's heart. And he sadly realized that he had never even given the boy a name. He was just "boy" all his life.

"I have done, you an injustice. I will name you so that it can be carved on your tombstone and through the ages you will be remembered." The old man promised. And he kept his word. A black obelisk was erected at the foot of his tower and carved into it was: "Baratha, the First Human Mage."

 **XXX**

A hundred more years passed and finally Iomeloth thought of a way to help the humans. Helping a few of them was easy, but he wanted to help them all. Every one of them! But he would need the help of his fellow mages of the First.

The First were five beings who had first learned how to tame the primal energies of creation itself. They were the most powerful beings to ever walk the lands, even more powerful that the Evil Ones, being so ancient that they had no form, rolling across the lands as a black mist, causing havoc and chaos wherever they went. They were the first evil and the five mages had defeated and destroyed nearly all of them. The first Mages had conquered the first Evil. And since then the mages were known as the First.

Iomeloth was the oldest and took the form of an old man, always wearing long rustling robes. He liked to think of himself as a purveyor of ancient knowledge and thought his white bearded countenance fitted that role nicely.

Tarquin Xi was the next oldest and took his cue from his mentor, also giving him the appearance of an old, old man.

The next oldest was a female, the only female of the five, a beautiful dark hair woman named Jayetha. She loved being the only female and had dallied with them all. Her form was that of a beautiful seductress and she loved enticing the other mages to her bed. Although, truth be told, she could have looked like an old hag and they would have still happily bedded her. After all, she was the only female of the group…

Yama Qu looked like a seasoned man with a beard and a part of spectacles perched on his nose. He had noticed them on a distant planet and loved the look and had worn them ever since, even though he had no need for them at all.

The rest of the First teased him unmercifully for that one vanity and he would have discarded them, except that Jayetha once told him that she liked them. Now centuries later, he still wore them.

The youngest of the First took the form of a young beautiful man. Ryoku-Ashi could not understand why Iomeloth and Tarquin Xi wanted to look like old men when they could have looked as young as he did. Of course, he was the current paramour of Jayetha so that probably had something to do with his appearance. He was a strange combination of vanity and coldness. He loved himself, but nothing else. Neither Jayetha or Ryoku-Ashi loved each other he was merely her latest lover and she was the grand prize to show off to the other mages. She fawned over him in front of the others and he preened like a peacock.

None of the other mages, particularly liked him, but they had no choice in the matter. He was one of them.

Four of them lived separated from each other like spokes of a wheel, almost an equal distance from the other; all except one. Jayetha was the hub, the center, and her tower were pure white, a gleaming symbol of purity in a dark world.

It had been many years - hundreds! Since the First had been all together and when Iomeloth's request for a meeting came, they all jumped at the chance to catch up. Of course Ryoku-Ashi jumped more at the chance to flaunt his love affair with Jayetha more than anything; he wasn't really interested in what his fellow mages did.

Tarquin Xi and Yama Qu were the first to arrive, perched on the backs of their Dragons. Each of the mages had long ago tamed the Great Dragons and now the huge beasts were their allies and friends

"Greetings, brother!" Tarquin Xi said and Yama Qu nodded with a smile. "It has been a long time since we've seen one another."

"Too long!" Iomeloth agreed.

"We are curious about this meeting… the reason for your call." Yama Qu added.

"As soon as Jayetha and Ryoku-Ashi arrive, I will explain it all.

"So, it is true? She had taken him to bed?" Tarquin Xi asked with a smile. "Now she has completed the circle, and had been the lover of all of the First.

"Can you blame her? She is the only female, what else can she choose? A demon? We are all that she has…" Iomeloth countered.

"Oh, I'm not blaming her at all! You misunderstand! I only meant that now that she has completed the circle, she might start at the beginning. And I was the first." Yama Qu laughed.

Just then two more Dragons, one pure white and the other a deep green, landed with a loud thud and the mages turned to the parapet. Jayetha dismounted with the help of Ryoku-Ashi.

Iomeloth wasted no time telling his fellow mages of his problem and asking for their help.

"You want us to help humans?" Ryoku-Ashi asked. "They are nothing…"

"I used to think the same, but then I got to know one of them and he even learned simple spells. They are intelligent. And they have good hearts. I have been studying them for centuries now. Even with the terror that is their life, they find time to love their children and sometimes to love each other."

"I too have watched them," Jayetha began. "And I agree with Iomeloth. I have extended my barrier around a small village to protect them and they have flourished under my care. They are loving and very intelligent. I will help you in any way that I can."

Tarquin Xi and Yama Qu agreed to help also and Ryoku-Ashi shrugged. "I will do whatever you want."

"So exactly how are we going to save them?" Yama Qu asked.

"We are going to give them a world of their own."

"What!?" Tarquin Xi exclaimed.

"I propose that we split off a part of this world and separate it with a magical barrier. Demons will not be able to see the new world, and vice versa. Over time, what they have seen on this world will become only a myth, and demons and dragons will be only fantasy."

"That might very well work." Yama Qu mused. "What part shall we give them? And how do we put them in the new world?"

"I was thinking about the southern part of the world, near your tower. It is the most desolate. After we split it, we remove any demons who are still there and open several temporary portals for the humans to use to go to their new home. We can watch over them for a while, only a few centuries or so until they have established themselves."

All were in agreement and a few days later, the five mages stood on Yama Qu's tower. They began to call on the world's primal energies. The sky turned into black and lightning streaked across the sky. The mages powered more power into their spell and the ground itself began to crack. The crack widened and lengthened until it formed a rough square around the southern quarter of the world. Then suddenly with a resounding roar, the land separated itself from the rest. The world stood apart, land and the sky were separated by a black void of nothingness.

The five mages began to chant as they sealed the world, erecting a magical barrier all around it. Finally, their work done, they crumbled to the tower floor in exhaustion.

"It worked!" Iomeloth said, his voice weary, but his eyes bright. "We need to tell the people that are on that world what happened. And also create a portal for the demons."

"Give me a little time to rest!" Jayetha exclaimed, leaning heavily on Ryoku-Ashi.

Demon servants brought drinks and food to the mages and soon they recovered enough of their strength to make their way downstairs. "I need to sleep. My servants will take you to the rooms." Yama Qu said on the way down. Soon each of them was sound asleep in comfortable beds.

And the First slept for forty days and forty nights.


	2. The Otherworld(The Sundering) Yama Qu

The Sundering

 ** _Chapter 2-Yama Qu_**

"I can't believe we slept that long!" Jayetha said when the mages had gathered one again. I've never felt the need to sleep for more than a couple of hours each month or so!"

"The spell took more energy than I expected." Iomeloth agreed. "But we must check our new world."

"I'm going to my own tower instead." Ryoku-Ashi told them and immediately created a small portal. Without another word, the young mage walked into his portal and disappeared. His Dragon, sensing his departure, unfurled huge wings and took to the air, following her master home.

"He was always headstrong." Tarquin Xi commented with a shrug. "Well, let's go see this new world." They portaled to the very enter and stood looking around in silent horror.

Everything was gone.

The mountains and lakes, the trees and all the vegetation were gone. As far as they could see, there was only emptiness.

"What happened?" Iomeloth cried. "Where is everyone?"

"We should have erected a protective barrier around the lands first. We made a fatal mistake." Yama Qu admitted sadly.

 _"help us…"_

Voices came on the air, only the faintest of whispers. Suddenly, all around them, coming from every direction, wraiths began to appear. Humans and demons alike, killed with the splitting of the world and now trapped in its desolation.

"Their spirits are trapped here." Jayetha whispered. "Poor souls! The barrier stops them from passing through. They will be trapped here for eternity!" A single tear slid down her cheek.

"Don't we have the power to release them? After all, we did this to them." Yama Qu asked, peering inently at the spirits through his unneeded spectacles.

"We cannot release them in mass! There are both demons and humans in that mix. We do not know who they are. They must be questioned and then it must be decided whether they should be released or not. Some of the demons are very, very cruel and they would only reincarnate and kill again." Iomeloth cautioned.

"So you want to keep them prisoner here forever?" Jayetha exclaimed. "No! I won't allow it!"

"Instead of a prison, this could be sort of like a way station. A place for newly deeased souls to rest until they are ready to continue on the journey. And in the case of the most evil, this could be a prison until they have learned the error of their ways." Yama Qu said.

"We need someone to take control. We can't just let them decide for themselves. The stronger demons would prevail and we would have the same problems that we had before." Iomeloth asked.

"We need someone powerful, yet fair." Yama Qu said softly. "I volunteer. I will become their caretaker and their jailor."

"Are you sure you want to do this? You can never turn back once you accept this task." Jayetha reminded him.

"I know. I have always felt that my life has been without purpose; this would finally give it a reason. Yes, I am decided. I want to do this." He turned to the lost souls and spoke to them. "I will protect you and I will help you continue your path to a new life."

As the souls knelt before him, _"Thank you, King Yama, and praise you!"_ They said, their many voices like a rushing wind.

Yama Qu nodded to them and then turned to his fellow mages. "You should leave now. I will seal this world so that no one can portal into it."

"I will miss you." Jayetha said, and the others nodded. Then they opened a portal and left Yama Qu alone.

The spirits stood there in silence, watching their new ruler, waiting. Yama Qu smiled at them and then motioned them to move farther back. As one they opened a large circle around him. He closed his eyes and began to chant softly. An ancient chant, one all of the mages had learned but could only use once, the releasing of their full power. Miracles could be accomplished, but the price was their undoing. Slowly, Yama Qu began to fade as he chanted, his body becoming more and more transparent. His power was freed as his physical body faded and this lost world began to change. The barrier was strengthened so that no portal could ever pierce its walls, ghostly buildings were erected, and a hazy landscape began to take form. A world was formed from nothingness, a world for the dead, a Spirit World.

When he was don, his physical body ceased to exist. Now he was a spirit like those around him. He opened his eyes and they bowed down before him. _'It is a good trade. My life for theirs.'_ He thought smiling. _'A good trade…'_

 **XXX**

Ryoku-Ashi stepped out of his portal and shook his head in disgust. What fools! Why were they helping humans? He had only helped because Jayetha had agreed and he didn't want to look bad in front of her.

He went downstairs to take a hot bath and put on fresh clothes. When he was finished, his Dragon had arrived. He walked to the top of his tower to greet her.

Daimonamara, Dai, a female Great Dragon. Ryoku-Ashi loved the fact that when she went into heat, she drove the male Dragons to despair. The last time, four Dragons had died during the battles to claim her as prize. And at the end of it, a large Black Dragon named Rhuyogeromaru had prevailed and earned the right to copulate with her. Rhu had gone on to become Yama Qu's Dragon, so she still saw him on occasion, but neither spoke of the past.

Two years after the mating, she gave birth to a tiny dark green dragon whom she named Daihemaru. He had long ago taken to the sky and carved out a territory of his own to the West. Dai had not seen her son in centuries now, but that was the way of Dragons. They were solitary creatures.

"What do you think of Iomeloth's plan, Dai? To save the humans…" Ryoku-Ashi asked.

"I think humans are very tasty."

Ryoku-Ashi threw back his head and laughed long and hard. "That's the right answer! Why waste all of your power and energy on a species that is only good as food. The strongest should always be the masters of the weak!"

Dai stretched a wing out and lazily lashed her tail. "All this talk is making me hungry."

"Well, then, let's go get you something to eat. There is a human village over that mountain." He pointed to the north.

Dai ran a forked tongue on her snout. "Wonderful! I hope there are some children. The young ones are always so tender…"

Ryoku-Ashi laughed as he moved loser. Dai bent her leg so that he could mount. "Come, let's go see what we can find to satisfy your hunger!"

The Green Dragon unfurled iridescent wings and took to the sky. Dai was a thing of beauty, gleaming in the sun. Just as her master was a beautiful man, but their hearts were black as coal.

They were well suited for each other.

 **XXX**

Michikyoimara called out a warning and Tarquin Xi went to his tower's parapet where his Red Dragon stood staring to the west. "A black dragon approaches."

Tarquin Xi shaded his eyes, but saw nothing at all. "Is it friend or foe?"

"It's still too far away to tell." Michi answered and the pair remained silent for a few minutes; Michi staring at a tiny black spec and Tarqin Xi attempting in vain to see what she was watching. Suddenly she snorted and turned to her master. "It's Rhu."

"Rhu! Of course! He has lost his master since Yama Qu stayed in the new world. Bid him welcome."

Michi nodded, raised her head high, and let loose a shrill trumpeted call which carried for miles. A faint one sounded in return.

Shortly after Rhu landed next to her and bowed his head to Tarquin Xi. "I request asylum. You were my master's best friend and now he had gone where I cannot follow. His tower is empty and the shadows of memory are long."

"You can stay here as long as you like, Rhu. I am honored that you chose my tower." Tarquin Xi said with a small bow. The mages liked to say that they had tamed the Great Dragons but in truth each Dragon chose their own master. Michi had chosen him a millennia ago and now he was truly honored to have two Great Dragons.

 **XXX**

Jayetha walked through the forest that surrounded her tower. She was very sad about their failure. Instead of freeing the humans, they had killed so many of them. She sighed heavily.

"It wasn't your fault." Came a soft voice.

She turned to Zenitarmaru, Zen, and stroked his long muzzle with a gentle hand. "Yes, it was. We did not protect them from the forces of nature that we were unleashing. We should have known."

Zen blinked huge dark blue eyes and said nothing, but you could tell he was lost in thought. Jayetha walked alongside the pure white Dragon in silence, each buried deep in their forlorn thoughts. Suddenly Zen spoke, his voice firm. "You must try again. Now that you know what to do, you must try again."

"It is not possible."

"Why not?" Zen asked without malice.

"Because we have lost one of our numbers. We are no longer five."

"And the four of you do not have the power to accomplish what the five did? I think all of you have more power than you realize."

Jayetha stopped and turned to stare at the Dragon. "It's worth trying at least! You're right! This is not a time for defeat, instead we must strengthen our resolve. Take me to the Black Tower of Iomeloth. We need to talk!"

Zen curled his lips into a fanged smile and bent down so that his mistress could mount him.

It took a very little persuasion to convince Iomeloth to try again. He contacted Tarquin Xi and easily convinced his old friend to help once more. Then together they contacted Ryoku-Ashi.

The three mages gave argument and entreaty for many hours before they finally convinced the young mage to help them once again. Three days hence they would met at Ryoku-Ashi's tower and do the spell once more, only this time putting up a protective barrier first.

Ryoku-Ashi left the mages to set up his tower for the second Sundering. He spent most of the three days drawing intricate runes and symbols across the entire parapet floor. Dai watched him silently for a long time and then finally spoke. "I don't why you are helping them?"

Ryoku-Ashi stood up and smiled at Dai. "Who says that I am doing this for them?"


End file.
